Special Act School Districts

Greenburgh Eleven UFSD is a Special Act Public School District dedicated primarily to the education of children with emotional, behavioral, and learning problems. It is located in Dobbs Ferry, New York, on the campus of The Children's Village, a renowned not-for-profit residential treatment center and facility in operation since 1851. It provides a highly specialized educational program for the students who reside at The Children's Village and offers its educational program to day students referred by other Committees on Special Education. All educational services are available to day students while they reside with their families. The District educates children ages 5-21. Educational and emotional needs are carefully evaluated by certified special education teachers and learning specialists. Teaching methods are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of each disabled student. Art, music, library, technology, physical education, home & careers, foreign language, and health are available as regular components of a student's education program. Technology integration in the classroom includes the use of Smart Boards, iPads, Chrome Books, and Google Classroom applications. They assist in motivating our students and help them overcome academic weaknesses and provide them the opportunity to develop 21st century skills.  

The Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District is a fully accredited public school offering a comprehensive K-12 program culminating in a high school diploma. GGUFSD has a focus on literacy development, has been designed and certified to serve the needs of students with disabilities. Each student’s program is drawn from a variety of components that provides students with flexible digital content and research-based curriculum that engages in high-quality education while tailoring to their disability. Our program includes NYS-accredited, diploma-granting high school program; all instruction based on New York State standards and competencies; complete academic evaluation and vocational assessment, and vocational training programs to prepare our students towards career readiness. In addition, we offer differentiated instruction – tailored instruction in reading which includes individualized literacy support program Wilson-Fundamentals to close the literacy gaps and a math curriculum that is aligned to foster students' academic growth and build teachers' effectiveness; small structured classes (8:1:2); and credit recovery courses that provide students with the personalized instruction they need to recover lost credits and graduate on time. Our student support services include full-time ongoing liaison with sending CSE’s; individual and group counseling with school psychologists, social workers, and guidance personnel; family outreach including monthly parent meetings; therapeutic crisis intervention; psychological and psychiatric consultations; speech/language evaluation and therapy; occupational and physical therapy, school-wide Response to Intervention; Positive Behavior support program; restorative practices; a Board Certified Behavioral Analysis; and Collaborative Problem Solving. The Graham School is on the grounds of the longest established child care agency in America.

Greenburgh-North Castle is the largest Special Act Public School District with sites in Dobbs Ferry, West Harrison, Yonkers and New Windsor. The District educates students with learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, autism, multiple disabilities and intellectual challenges. Both day and residential programs are available. The District primarily educates students referred by local school district committees on special education. 

The basic approach of Greenburgh-North Castle School District is to work with students and families to assist special education students in earning an advanced regents diploma. Many students will also earn the CDOS (Career Development and Occupational Studies) certificate as well. The District also has a program for students who require alternate assessments. 

A full range of academic, career and technical programs are provided by New York State Education Department-certified teachers. Guidance services, psychological counseling, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, reading services, and other related services are provided to students in individual and small group settings. In addition to competitive sports for students (Section I Athletics), the District offers intramural and teams that participate in a unified sports program. 

The Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Union Free School District comprises the Cedar Knolls Academy (K-8) and the Linden Hill High School (9-12).

The students come to the district classified by their local Committee on Special Education. Students are placed in special education classes and programs in the district that are provided by state-certified, professionally trained staff.

Programs are constantly revised to better meet the needs of an ever-changing population. Options exist for graduation credentials, including Regents, CDOS, and GED. The district meets all of the Commissioner’s part 100 and 200 regulations.

The district’s strength, in great part, is due to the working relationship between the multi-disciplinary staff on the campus. Teachers, social workers, school counselors, psychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, nurses and a full host of support services make for a well-integrated and responsible approach to working with students towards becoming  productive, successful, contributing citizens of the 21st Century.

The Mount Pleasant Blythedale Union Free School District is a Special Act Public School District created by the New York State Legislature in 1971 to serve medically fragile children ages 5 to 21 who are inpatients or Day Hospital patients at Blythedale Children's Hospital and children 3-5 who are referred by community district CPSE.  These children have complex medical problems which preclude attendance in a community educational setting.  These children benefit from a multidisciplinary, integrated educational and medical approach. 

All students receive NYS Standards based instruction.  High School students work toward NYS Regents Diplomas. 

Children ages 5-21 are medically referred.  At any one-time, student enrollment averages 120 for K-12 and 24 for preschool; however, throughout the year, the total number of students enrolled can average 350.

After extensive and intensive medical and educational rehabilitation, students transition to the home communities and school distrcts, functioning as independently as possible within the limits of medical and physical challenges.

Tuition is set annually by the State Education Department (SED) and billed to the child's County  Department of Social Services.   

The NY State Legislature created the Mount Pleasant Cottage School UFSD in 1971 to serve the education needs of approximately 260 children with social-emotional disabilities who are either day students or residents of the Jewish Child Care Association's 175- acre Westchester Campus in Pleasantville. Resident-students live in one of four separate programs on campus. The Mount Pleasant Cottage School is a coeducational facility for approximately 140 students who are socially and emotionally challenged. The Edenwald Center serves approximately 120 students who have developmental and emotional challenges. 

The school district develops individualized educational programs, related services and small classes to meet the diverse needs of our students. Programs follow the NY State curriculum and include academic diagnosis and remediation, speech and language services, counseling services, occupational therapy, computer-aided instruction, a continuum of vocational experiences and opportunities, and a comprehensive focus on the enhancement of individual student academic growth. Regents and Local diplomas are awarded to students meeting the requirements of the New York State Department of Education as well as the Career Development and Occupational Studies Commencement Credential (CDOS) and Skills and Achievement Commencement Credential. The school district also has a Registered Culinary CTE program giving students an opportunity to earn a CTE endorsement on their diploma as well as college credits through Westchester Community College. In addition, the school district admits day students who are accepted and integrated into existing programs based on the submission of intake packets and interviews with school staff.